Office Administrator, School of Labor & Employment Relations

Office Administrator, School of Labor & Employment Relations

Provides administrative and office support for the School of Labor and Employment Relations, including Career Services, development and alumni relations, business operations, and School activities. Serves as a point of contact for students, faculty, staff, recruiters, alumni, University offices, and external constituents and exercises judgment in carrying out administrative functions.

Business Operations:

Provides administrative support for LER faculty, staff, and affiliated units with routine purchasing, payment, travel, and business transactions, ensuring compliance with University policies and procedures.

Processes purchases and payments through iBuy, Banner, University purchasing cards, and other approved methods, including IT supplies and equipment; maintains required documentation and reconciles transactions in Emburse.

Coordinates travel arrangements and related documentation for LER faculty, staff, and the Director of Development and Alumni Relations, including transportation, lodging, cash advances, reimbursements, and expense reconciliation.

Prepares quarterly travel reports for the School and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement for reimbursement of applicable travel expenses.

Maintains records and reconcile monthly transactions for ICR and gift funds.

Assists with vendor setup, special payment forms, donor and gift processing, and maintenance of related records and documentation.

Provides administrative support for development and alumni activities, including campus visits, cultivation activities, sponsorships, student fellowships, and related reports.

Serves as a resource to faculty and staff on University and LER purchasing, travel, and business procedures; communicates policy updates and assists with implementation.

Assists with business transactions and administrative needs for affiliated LER units, including the Climate Jobs Institute, Labor Education Program, and Project for Middle Class Renewal, as needed.

Assists with maintaining efficient and consistent business processes and office procedures within LER.

LER Career Services:

Responds independently to questions and resolves problems for students and companies regarding recruiting schedules, procedures, and protocols. Serves as the primary administrative liaison to corporate recruiters, including Fortune 500 companies, that recruit LER students.

Answers telephone calls and reviews emails for the Senior Associate Dean, External Relations & Operations, requesting or providing recruiting information and responding to routine inquiries as appropriate.

Receives and processes incoming mail for recruiting and responds to items as appropriate.

Exercises independent judgment and discretion when responding to questions requiring knowledge of Career Services policies and procedures, University policies, and current practices.

Manages, develops, and reviews materials and logistics for all recruiting events, including publicizing events, securing audio/visual equipment, making catering arrangements in accordance with University policies and procedures, ensuring purchase orders are in place as appropriate, assigning recruiting rooms, and identifying locations for information sessions.

Develops and maintains effective working relationships with vendors and recruiters to facilitate successful recruiting activities. Serves as a resource to corporate recruiters before and during campus visits to ensure the smooth operation of recruiting and interview schedules.

Tracks revenue and expenses associated with recruiting and monitors controllable costs. Prepares detailed reports regarding the financial position of LER funds for the Senior Associate Dean and LER Senior Budget Director. Invoices recruiters, collects fees, and makes deposits in accordance with University cash-handling policies.

Conducts research using a variety of resources to identify prospective companies to recruit LER students. Initiates outreach to prospective companies regarding on-campus recruiting opportunities.

Manages the electronic on-campus recruiting calendar, including corporate visits, recruiting events, and interview sign-up activities.

Maintains an extensive database of scholar information which includes updating plaques and name plates.

Represents the LER Career Services Office at the quarterly Handshake user meeting. Serves as a point of contact for recruiters and students using Handshake, explains policies and procedures to approximately 175 students and resolves system-related issues.

Supervises graduate hourly employees hired to assist with recruiting activities, including scheduling, training, evaluation, and review of timesheets for accuracy.

Accompanies the Senior Associate Dean to key recruiting events and meetings.

LER Development and Alumni Relations:

Stewardship and Donor Relations: Performs online research to identify and enhance information on prospective donors, alumni, and corporate partners; maintains and updates constituent information in TED. Manages gift acknowledgment and stewardship activities, including reviewing gift information, running weekly reports, preparing and distributing personalized thank-you letters and stewardship materials, and tracking stewardship interactions in TED. Assists with gift processing, including preparing gift transmittals, maintaining required documentation, and maintaining an annual record of gifts received by the School for reporting and annual report purposes. Prepares and distributes stewardship and fundraising reports, including weekly gift reports, development performance and pipeline reports, and other reports as requested. Coordinates the annual donor acknowledgment process for scholarship and award recipients, including updating scholarship records and spreadsheets and ensuring appropriate acknowledgments are completed. Coordinates donor and alumni communications and mailings, including birthday cards, thank-you packages for benefactors of awards and scholarships, and other development and alumni relations communications throughout the year. Coordinates the LER Student Thank-a-thon, including preparing materials and supporting the annual fall student calling event. Provides administrative and logistical support to the Director of Development and Alumni Relations and Communications and Events Specialist in planning and implementing alumni events and School activities involving LER alumni, including activities coordinated with the University of Illinois Alumni Association or University of Illinois Foundation. Provides logistical support for development and alumni events and scholarship activities, including preparing nametags, arranging decorations, coordinating alumni materials and swag, managing RSVP lists, tracking attendance in TED, and coordinating with Trophy Time to update scholarship plaques.

Primary Support to the Director, Development & Alumni Relations: Serves as the primary administrative support to the Director of Development and Alumni Relations, including managing the Director's calendar, scheduling appointments and meetings, answering telephone calls, monitoring correspondence, and independently responding to routine inquiries from alumni, corporate representatives, donors, and University offices. Serves as an initial point of contact and liaison between the Director of Development and Alumni Relations and internal and external constituents, exercising independent judgment in responding to inquiries and determining appropriate follow-up. Monitors incoming mail and email related to the Director's activities and independently responds to or directs routine matters as appropriate. Composes confidential correspondence, memoranda, and other materials for the Director as directed. Develops, recommends, and coordinates administrative methods and procedures that support efficient and effective development and alumni relations operations. Coordinates special projects and assignments that support the goals and objectives of the School's development and alumni relations activities, including projects involving multiple phases and internal and external stakeholders. Serves as clerical and technical backup for alumni activities and Alumni Board meetings and assists with Alumni Board-sanctioned and sponsored initiatives. Assists with special events and School activities as needed. Provides back-up administrative support to other LER staff, including answering School phones, printing materials, copying, scanning, preparing announcements, and assisting with internal and external student and School activities and events. Shares, on a rotational basis, with other members of the support staff in the daily distribution of U.S. and campus mail and provides back-up support for printer and copier issues as needed.

Other Duties:

Performs other administrative and operational duties as assigned in support of the School's activities and priorities.

Minimum Qualifications:

Per SUCSS class spec:

1. High school diploma or equivalent. 2. Any one of the following from the categories below: (a) Four (4) years (48 months) of work experience comparable to the third level of this series. (b) Two (2) years (24 months) of work experience comparable to the fourth level of this series.

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree. Event planning experience. Excellent knowledge of business English, excellent keyboarding skills and accurate spelling and proofreading ability. Ability to organize and prioritize work assignments. Ability to work under pressure, attention to detail, and follow-through are necessary. Experience with Word, Webtools, Excel, TED, Handshake, Emburse, iBuy or any business system. Ability to operate standard office equipment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Ability to recognize items of a sensitive and confidential nature. Ability to work with minimal supervision and in a self-directed manner. Knowledge of administrative and administrative procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and other office procedures and terminology. Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. Knowledge of computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to enter data, or process information. Skill in communicating effectively as appropriate for the needs of the audience. Ability to understand written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Appointment Information

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